


5 times Zoey didn’t realize Tobin and Leif were in love + 1 time she did

by RainbowNixie



Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Canon Compliant, Community (TV) References, Domestic, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, I don’t know how to write choreographies, Leif is a simp for Tobin, M/M, Tobin needs to learn abt feminism, a little ooc but who cares, they’re all best friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:13:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26882713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainbowNixie/pseuds/RainbowNixie
Summary: What the title says!! (Zoey isn’t an idiot, she’s just pretty oblivious)
Relationships: Leif Donnelly/Joan (Mentioned/Background), Tobin Batra/Leif Donnelly, Zoey Clarke/Max Richman
Comments: 27
Kudos: 38





	1. That bakery you like

**Author's Note:**

> I just want y’all to know that English isn’t my first language, and I’m really sorry if there’s any mistake or if the characters are too ooc!!! Btw, this whole fic happens after 1x07 (I obviously rewrote some storylines and plot for this to make sense)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wait- you walked to a bakery that is, driving, half an hour far away from here? Just to bring me croissants?”
> 
> Leif tapped Tobin’s shoulder, and Zoey could swear she saw both of them blush for a second. “Anything for you, dude.”
> 
> “Yeah…” Tobin slightly giggled.

Zoey didn’t expect it would take Leif that long to buy some coffee for the fourth floor. Yeah, they had coffee there, but it wasn’t the best. Even Joan agreed with that, so she sent Leif ( _the one who actually has good taste here._ Her words.) to buy it. Tobin wanted to go with him, but they had too much work left to let, not only one, but two programmers leave the office.  
Zoey thought that Tobin not going with him would be a plus: Leif would come back soon, and everyone would get their coffees in time. However, two hours had passed already and no one knew about Leif’s whereabouts. Not even his best friend.

“Oh my God, maybe he’s dead.”

“He’s not dead, Toby.” Zoey tried to reassure him. “I’m sure Leif’s okay.”

“No no no! Think about it, Zo!” Tobin stopped coding to look at Zoey, who was still focused on her work, but listening to her friend at the same time. “Perhaps someone ran him over… or worse!”

She sighed, turning her head towards Tobin. “Look, T.” She looked at him fondly. “I’m definitely, completely, and 100% sure that Leif is just fine. Maybe he just… got distracted.”

“How would you know that, huh? Besides, my man Leif doesn’t get distracted.”

After some more minutes of Tobin going through different phases of mourning, he gave up and started to work again. Joan could be very persuasive if she wanted to, and also pretty scary. No one had received news from Leif, and Tobin was ready to panic again when three hours passed. Just when he entered another room to call the cops and ask them to look for his best friend, the elevator’s doors opened.

“First of all, I’m sorry to all of you for the wait. Secon-“ Leif couldn’t finish his sentence, as all of their co-workers approached him to grab their coffees, and proceeded to completely ignore him again. He sighed and went towards Zoey’s desk, handing her her Cappuccino. “Just so you know, you shouldn’t put that much sugar in your coffee. It isn’t healthy.”

“And just so you know…” She took a sip of her drink. “You shouldn’t bring coffee to the office when it’s almost lunch time.”

“Touché.”

“You know what, Zozo?! Fuck the police! Yeah, there, I said it! What the fuck does it mean that I can’t report a missing person if they aren’t gone for more than 24 hours? Those fucker-“ When Tobin looked up from his phone and saw Leif there, he couldn’t help but hug him right away. Leif was more confused than ever. “Bro! How was the coffee shop? Cool? Met some cute girl and fell in love with her just like in those romcoms Autumn likes? ‘Cause if you did, I don’t blame you for making me think you were dead!” Tobin was clearly joking, but everyone could sense those passive-aggressive vibes in his voice.

Leif separated from the hug and stared at him confusedly for a moment, just before letting the subject go. He thought about asking if Tobin had actually believed he was dead, but prefered to live not knowing the answer to that question. Without saying a word, he approached Tobin’s desk and left a brown bag with a yellow logo there. Tobin excitedly screamed, moving towards the table. Zoey couldn’t ignore the situation anymore, so she decided to stare at them for a while. “You are pranking me for sure, bro! Really?”

Leif smiled proudly at the bag, just as Tobin touched it with care. “When I was coming back I received an email from that bakery you like and… I thought I wouldn’t last this long, but there was this huge traffic jam and my taxi driver was kind of a jerk. So I walked back here.”

Tobin held the bag close to his chest with a big smile, but that expression quickly turned into a concerned one. “Wait- you came back walking from a bakery that is, driving, half an hour far away from here? Just to bring me croissants?”

Leif tapped Tobin’s shoulder, and Zoey could swear she saw both of them blush for a second. “Anything for you, dude.”

“Yeah…” Tobin slightly giggled.

Doing all of that for his best friend was the most adorable thing Leif had ever done, in Zoey’s opinion. And perhaps it proved his heart’s existence. So Zoey started to work again, thinking of how badly she wanted to buy Mo some type of sweet now, and what a beautiful friendship those two morons had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!! Kudos make my heart go uwu
> 
> Btw, remember to stay hydrated and take care of yourself!!!


	2. Tobin 2.0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I want you to improve yourself because you want to, not because you’re scared of me leaving you.” Leif interrupted him, and Zoey kind of felt bad for listening. But it wasn’t like she had any other choice now. “I only need you to focus more and organize yourself. That’s all. We’ll run this place together. No matter what.”

Everything was quiet on the fourth floor, and the only ones left were Leif, Max, Tobin, and Zoey. She was already done with her code, but Joan had asked her to stay with the three guys, just to keep an eye on them and their work. Max, on the other hand, stayed only for Zoey, because he had finished coding too a few minutes ago.

“C’mon, babe, just go home.” Zoey pleaded for the fifth time. 

“Nope. Not gonna leave you alone with those two.” Max assured her, pointing at their friends.

“What,” Tobin didn’t even look up from his screen. “Scared of us stealing your girlfr- Nope, not gonna do it. Not today. Girls aren’t objects. Zoey’s a person. Zoey's your friend. Focus, Tobin!” He was basically talking to himself at that point.

“No…” Max giggled. “But you’ll stress her. And if she’s going to put up with you, better not do it alone.”

“Ha ha, very funny Max.” Leif said sarcastically. “But I think It’d better if you let us work. Alone. You’ll distract Zoey, ergo, you’ll distract us.”

Zoey nodded when Max looked at her. He instantly sighed and picked up his stuff. “I can't believe Joan let two dudes who get distracted this easily work on the crucial part of the project.”

He was on his way to the elevator when Tobin shouted. “Bro, Max! Still up for Friday night to watch Infinity War!?”

“Yeah!”

It was almost 2 am when Zoey finally gave up and fell asleep. Neither Leif nor Tobin said anything. Joan wasn’t there anyway, and if something went wrong, one of them could wake her up. What Zoey didn't know, though, was that everything was going neatly while she slept. Tobin wouldn’t stop typing, and aside from some glances and compliments from Leif, the two friends stayed silent. 

Zoey woke up to the sound of her alarm, which was turned off by someone just before she could react.

“Why did you turn off her alarm?” Zoey heard Leif ask, so she didn’t move her head to the other side. She was curious and too tired to move, anyway. 

“Because you’ve already heard what Max said, she needs to rest. Plus, she’s the one who’s been working the most.” Zoey smiled as Tobin sat in his chair again. “That girl needs to sleep, and I have to finish this.”

“I thought you were done already.” Leif put something on a table. A mug, perhaps? Zoey didn’t care that much. 

“I am! Just want to check if everything’s good.” 

_Since when did Tobin check on his code?_ Zoey asked herself. 

“You never check on your code twice…” _Exactly._ “What’s happening, Tobes?”

Tobin laughed softly, trying to not bother Zoey. “Nothing’s wrong, my bro! The Chirp is really important to the firm and I don’t wanna be the one who messes things up.”

And then, both of them stayed quiet. Zoey couldn’t even hear Tobin typing anymore. She thought about standing up and going home already. However, Leif spoke again.

“You don’t have to do all of this for me, you know that. Right Tobes?”

Tobin laughed again, this time to hide something else. Zoey knew that laugh like the back of her hand. “Doing what, exactly? Because the only thing I’m doing is a great job!”

“The whole…” Leif breathed in, more serious now. “The whole Tobin 2.0 thing. I love that you’re working so hard on improving yourself, I really do. But those ‘feminism and gender’ classes with Autumn? Staying always late to check and rewrite your work? You spent a whole day without eating anything at all! That’s not you.”

“But I thought you wanted me to-“

“I want you to improve yourself because you want to, not because you’re scared of me leaving you.” Leif interrupted him, and Zoey kind of felt bad for listening. But it wasn’t like she had any other choice now. “I only need you to focus more and organize yourself. That’s all. We’ll run this place _together_. No matter what:”

“Okay…” Zoey could almost _hear_ Tobin’s smile. “But, just so you know, I’m doing this to be a better person. For me. And those classes with Autumn are cool as fuck! I’m learning important stuff.”

Leif giggled. “Glad to hear that. Just… Take care of yourself.

“Of course, bro...” Tobin said softly.

Zoey smiled to herself.

Later that night, before going to bed, she sent a text to Mo:

**_Zoey; 4:27 am_ **

Omg!!! Leif and Tobin's friendship is so healthy and cute!!! Just heard them talk about feelings! FEELINGS. MO. TOBIN!!

I guess Leif really is his best friend, huh?

**_Mo; 4:29 am_ **

zo wtf it’s 5 am girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you doing today? It’s getting (at least here) a little cold!! So remember to stay warm and rested!! 
> 
> Kudos and commentaries make me so happy y’all don’t even know!!


	3. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m jealous! Okay? I’m jealous of them hooking up!” Tobin put his arms at his sides and sighed frustratedly. Zoey could swear she saw his eyes being more watery, and instantly grabbed his left hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Power differential: The basic inequality inherent in the professional relationship between mentor and mentee, worker and client, boss and employee… Basically, one of them has, in some way, advantage in the relationship.
> 
> (Sorry if you don’t understand the definition. Again, remember English isn’t my first language!!!)

At that point, everyone knew about Joan and Leif. Of course, no one talked about it in front of them, but rumors were easily spread in that office. Everyone knew they were hooking up and, as always, Joan was the one receiving all the hate.

“She definitely divorced her husband just to bang millennials.”

“Oh my god, isn’t she like fifty? She kind of doubles Leif’s age... What a creep.”

“What’s she doing sleeping with Leif? She’s the boss. That- Isn’t that some weird use of her executive power, dude? I’m sure Joan’s making him think that he has some chance of being promoted. Just to fuck him.” 

Zoey recognized the last voice, and immediately started to freak out. “Wait. This cannot be possible.” She said more to herself than to Max. “Is that Tobin?”

“Why are you surprised?” Max continued typing as he sometimes looked at his girlfriend. “It isn’t like he would change much, right?”

Zoey ignored him and stood up from her desk, to approach the little crowd that had been created around someone’s laptop.

Max didn’t get it. Tobin had started to actually improve himself… Those classes with Autumn (and sometimes Mo) were working. He was more aware of misogynism and had already learned about how women got called out for doing stuff like this, when men were pictured as heroes. And besides, even if Tobin wasn’t aware of those things… attacking Joan? Yes, he sometimes made some random jokes about her, and occasionally they were sexist. But he had never, ever, directly attacked Joan.

Zoey had to solve all of this before Leif and Joan came back from one of their meetings.

“Tobin, can I talk to you for a second?” She sounded angrier than she had expected.

“Okay…” He followed Zoey to the floor’s unisex bathroom, confused and still giggling for some joke he had heard. When Zoey turned around, mad, Tobin’s mood changed completely. “What’s happening, Zo?”

“What do you think you’re doing?” She didn’t like to be angry, her dad had always said it was a waste of time. So Zoey breathed in, and started again. “Why are you saying those things about Joan?”

“Wait- are you mad?”

“No.” Zoey replied, clearly pissed off and disappointed at him. Tobin stared at her in silence until she couldn’t hold back anymore. “Okay, yeah, I’m mad. Why are you doing this, Toby? I thought you had stopped saying stuff like that already.” 

Tobin chuckled loudly. “Aren’t I right, though? Autumn taught me about _power differential_ *, and that, Zoey, is a very clear example. Boss dating an employee? Not good.” 

“You can’t use your lessons here!” She didn’t intend to raise her voice that much. 

“Why not, huh? Just because Joan is kind of close to us doesn’t mean that what she’s doing isn’t bad. She’s our boss.” 

“But Joan isn’t doing anything bad, Tobin! We both know that!”

“How would I, if I just found out like everyone else!?” 

Zoey stopped for a moment and lowered her tone. Her anger suddenly turning into concern. “You... didn’t know about them?”

Tobin didn’t answer straight away. He looked down at his feet for a while, and crossed his arms over his chest. Zoey waited until he replied with another question. “Did you?”

Zoey couldn’t tell him the whole truth, so she decided to go for an easy answer. “Joan told me.” Tobin hummed. “Leif hasn’t-“

Tobin didn’t let her finish. “Nope. Not at all. Too busy fucking Joan, I guess.” Zoey glanced at him angrily again. “I’m sorry.”

The two of them spent some minutes in silence, leaning on the sink and avoiding each other’s eyes (Tobin avoiding Zoey’s, actually). Fortunately, no one had entered the bathroom yet, and Zoey wasn’t going to force Tobin to open up if he didn’t want to. 

All of a sudden, Tobin broke the quiet atmosphere. “I felt bad the moment I said it, you know?” Zoey looked at him, although he was still avoiding her gaze. “Power differential is a real fucked up thing. It actually happens! Constantly! I know Joan isn’t capable of that...”

Zoey thought for a moment about telling Tobin the “ _I put a spell on you_ ” thing, and the whole “perhaps Leif’s the one who’s manipulating Joan”. But she chose not to. Tobin was already feeling bad enough… He didn’t need someone talking shit about his best friend. “At least you’ve apologized. That's progress! But… Why did you do it in the first place? To look cool? ‘Cause I can assure you you don’t need to do that to get along with-“

“No. That’s not it.” Tobin finally looked at her.

“Then?” Tobin hugged himself tighter at Zoey’s concerned voice. She approached him, resting her hand on his shoulder. “You can trust me, c’mon.”

“I’m jealous! Okay? I’m jealous of them hooking up!” Tobin put his arms at his sides and sighed frustratedly. Zoey could swear she saw his eyes being more watery, and instantly grabbed his left hand. 

“Hey! That’s completely normal, okay?” Zoey reassured him. “I get it! He’s your best friend and you don’t want some girl -and even less your boss- to keep him away from you.” She giggled.

“What? That’s not-“

“Don’t worry, Toby.” Zoey smiled fondly, ignoring Tobin's words completely. “You saw this powerful woman as a threat against your friendship, and you automatically went full ‘misogynist jerk’ defense mechanism.”

“But, Zo, there’s something you don’t-“

Just when Tobin was about to tell Zoey the whole truth, the bathroom door opened. “Oh, great. You two are here. C’mon, Joan came back and wants to have a talk with all of us.” Max told them, not staying there enough time to see their reactions. 

Tobin sighed, giving up, and walked towards the exit until Zoey stopped him. “The next time you need to vent, talk to me! Or Autumn! Or even Max or Mo. But don’t turn yourself into that person again… Leif will always be your best friend, no matter what.”

Oh… Little did she know… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all!! Hope you liked the chapter!!


	4. Tobes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Could you please not call Tobin, ‘Tobes’?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place before 1x10!!!

The whole gang (Zoey, Max, Autumn, Leif, Mo, and Tobin) was spending the night at Leif and Tobin’s condo. They had decided a while ago to do a “movie night”, and the two of them had happily offered their place for the sleepover. Surprisingly for Zoey, everything was going better than she had expected: They all had their favorite snacks, she hadn’t heard any of her friends sing, and they were all focused on the movie (if you didn’t count the random commentaries and jokes). However, Zoey could sense Leif’s discomfort since Autumn, Max, and her arrived. She didn’t know why he was so uncomfortable, but minutes later, everything went back to normal.

The next time she saw Leif tensing up was when Max got up to grab another beer.

“Hey, Tobes! Where’s the other box?” He shouted from the kitchen.

“Look in the right cabinet! Next to the fridge!”

“Yes! Thanks, dude!”

And Zoey couldn’t help but stare at Leif for a while, to discover what was bothering him exactly. When Max came back to sit in the armchair they were sharing, though, Zoey forgot what she was doing in the first place.

They were almost finishing the first movie of their list when Autumn, who was sitting on the floor (her choice) looked up at Tobin. “Hey Tobes, wanna braid my hair?”

“Of course, sis.” Everyone looked at him. Except Leif, Zoey noticed. He was looking at Autumn upsettingly. “What? I often do this with my lil’ cousin! I’m a man of many talents.” He smiled proudly.

Autumn undid her ponytail and approached Tobin who, thanks to being sitting on the couch, was in the perfect place to style her hair. “Tobes, you’re the best.” She muttered.

“I know.”

Leif kept glancing occasionally at Tobin’s hands until the movie finished. Zoey still couldn’t get what was making him so upset, and she was surprised no one else had noticed. Perhaps her power made her have a better perception of little things… Or maybe the others didn’t care that much.

Just when Zoey started to forget what was going on, it happened again. This time his gaze was directed at Mo, who had asked where the bathroom was.

“Next to my bedroom, down the hall.” 

“Thank, Tobes!” Mo replied, fabulous as always.

Zoey realized Leif wouldn’t stop looking at Mo until he entered the bathroom. She wanted to ask him about it, but how would she even start that conversation? _Hey, I’ve seen the way you look at everyone today. What happens? Wanna talk? Open up? Want some advice from the worst person at communication ever?_ It didn’t seem right at all. 

So Zoey chose not to interfere with Leif’s discomfort at the moment. Although maybe she’d try to talk with him later, if they had a break after the movie.

Luckily, she didn’t have to. 

When Mo came back from the bathroom, Tobin stood up and went to use it too. Just when he disappeared through the hallway, Leif spoke. “Can I… ask you all a favour?”

They all looked at Leif confusingly, and Zoey guessed it had to do with his strange behavior. Autumn was the first one to answer. “Of course, Leif. Whatever you need.”

“Yeah, dude. Same here.” Max said, after seeing Leif hesitating. 

“Could you please not call Tobin, ‘Tobes’?” All of them stayed silent, expecting an explanation. He sighed. “I’ve been calling him that since we met, and it’s really… weird hearing you say it.” 

Everyone nodded and none of them said a word about it. Except for Autumn and Mo, who started interrogating Leif about his friendship with Tobin. How they met, for how long they had known each other… Stuff Zoey and Max already knew, basically. _The perks of working together_ , she thought.

But Zoey couldn’t let the topic go. _Weird?_ Those looks weren't just out of weirdness. 

Hours later, Leif and Zoey were the only ones still up while everyone else was deep asleep. Leif didn’t like leaving the living room messy and dirty, and Zoey, as an excuse to talk, offered to help him.

“Hey, Leif…” Zoey began, as she put a clean dish in one of the cabinets.

“Yes?” He was, meanwhile, sweeping the kitchen. 

“That thing you said before. About us calling Tobin ‘Tobes’.” Leif hummed. “It really bothers you that much?”

Leif stopped sweeping. “I guess so? I’ve been calling him that for ages… It’s kind of our thing now.” He dropped all the dirt in the trash. “I’m sure you don’t like other people calling Mo- I don’t know- Some nickname you have for him.”

Zoey smiled. “Yeah, true! You're right. Sorry!”

But she actually couldn’t care less about nicknames. _Every friendship is different..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to see Leif being jealous at some point of the series (not the toxic type of jealousy, ofc). 
> 
> Hope you are doing great!! You are amazing and valid!! (Kudos and comments make me happyyy)


	5. Voice messages

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after the whole “Sixth floor thing”

“He left… Zoey. He left me!”

“But he came back! Isn’t that what really matters now?” She tried to calm him down.

“No.” Tobin stated. “The point now is that he doesn’t give a fuck about me anymore!”

They were in Zoey’s living room, two margaritas resting on the table, and both of their phones on Zoey’s side so Tobin couldn’t see Leif’s notifications popping up every now and then. He had been avoiding Leif since he came back from the sixth floor. Something that was quite difficult, keeping in mind that they lived together. So he decided to, of course, stay at his bestie’s house, not caring about Max’s presence.

Zoey caressed his knee, while she took a sip of her drink. “I hiiiighly doubt that, Bin. Leif loves you so much! It’s unreal! I’ve never looked at Mo the way he looks at you.” She giggled, putting the glass back on the table. “You two are so close… Like a new level of bestiesness!”

Tobin blushed slightly and Zoey couldn’t tell if it was exclusively for the alcohol. “I guess so.” He put his hand on top of Zoey’s and sighed sadly. “He still left without even asking me, though.”

“Perhaps he wante-“

Tobin interrupted. “He told me we were gonna run the firm together! What kind of best friend does that?” The look in his eyes broke Zoey’s heart. So hopeless… It brought her memories of the Spell-iversary.

“I-“ Zoey wanted to give him good advice. Be able to be the wise and empathetic girl Tobin expected her to be right now. However, she couldn’t. She couldn’t stay there and give him all the answers (mostly because she didn’t even know them), although he really seemed to need one. And even less tell him that everything was gonna be okay, because she didn’t know that either. So Zoey squeezed his hand lovingly, and handed him his phone. “You need to talk to him, Tobin.” 

Tobin looked at her to double check if that was the right thing to do, and Zoey tried to give him that smile her mom always made to make her feel better. Apparently, it worked, because Tobin was already checking Leif’s last texts and voice messages:

_“Tobes? Hey um- I know you said you were staying at Zo’s. And that’s cool! But why so suddenly...? You haven’t given me an explanation yet.”_

_“Not that you have to explain yourself for hanging out with your friend! But I thought we were gonna watch Community together, like every Thursday. It almost looks like when I left you alone at the spell- Fuck, I shouldn’t say this. Sorry, dude. Too soon?”_

_“I’m just gonna try to be clear here: Did I do something? Because you’ve been acting odd since I came back, and now you don’t even talk to me... Call me.”_

_“Tobes, if this is because I said I preferred Troy dating Annie than Britta and that’s why you don’t wanna watch Community , I’m sorry! We both know he’s in love with Abed anyway.”_

_“Okay, I’m actually not sorry. Annie would be way better for him than Britta and I should say it.”_

_“Look… Call me whenever you’re ready to talk again.”_

**Leif; 23:30**

Tell Zoey I want my green cardigan back, btw

_“I’ve been thinking and I just realized why you don’t want to even see me. Shit, dude, I would hate me too. Come back home so we can fix things up.”_

_“You know what? Not gonna wait. You know I love you, Tobes. You’re my… my best friend, right? We’ve been best friends for seventeen years! Please come back home so I can apologize properly for going to the sixth floor and not bringing you with me. Is that why you’re mad at me… right?”_

Tobin was ready to get up, when another voice message appeared on the chat. Zoey nodded at him and he pressed play, sitting again on the couch.

_“I saw you heard the messages and I… Before you come home- If you do. I need you to know this: I didn’t bring you with me because you’re the only one that makes me want to be a better person. Less work centered and ambitious and… more like Tobin Batra. More empathetic, funny, relaxed and… Y’know, dude. More human and less code. And I think that, deep down, I didn’t want to work on the sixth floor. The fourth floor is my home, and just because Joan doesn’t like me back it doesn’t mean I have to leave you all. So perhaps I didn’t bring you with me so I… had an actual reason to come back.”_

**Leif; 23:47**

Too cheesy? I’m such a drama queen… you’ve been saying that since high school 

**Leif; 23:48**

I don’t even like Joan like that, I think

Zoey looked at Tobin smiling, expecting him to do something. But he just kept staring at her with a confused glance until Max appeared from the kitchen. “Go with him, you moron!”

“Oh- Oh, yes. Of course!”

When Tobin ran out from Zoey’s condo after placing a kiss on her head, Max sat with Zoey on the couch, putting his arm around her waist. “Those two really need to talk some things out…”

“Yeah.” She giggled. “I know every friendship is unique, but I’ve never had those kind of problems with my best friends.”

Max stared at his girlfriend. “You’ve had them with me.”

“That’s not the same.” Zoey snuggled up to him. “We’re dating.”

Max waited, speechless. “And…?” 

“Leif and Tobin are besties! It’s not the same dynamic.” 

“So you’re telling me that all those voice messages mean nothing?” Zoey tilted her head. “Leif literally said Tobin makes him wanna be a better person!” 

“Mo and Autumn make me wanna be a better person too.” She said, half-closing her eyes. “It’s not that weird.” 

Max sighed and started to stroke Zoey’s hair. “Whatever you say…”


	6. Daylight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoey finally realizes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, Max still works at SPRQpoint!!

Tobin hadn’t talked to Zoey since he went back home the night before, and that could only mean two things: 1) Leif and him already talked things out and everything was okay again, 2) They did, but it went horribly and Tobin blamed Zoey. She liked to think it was the first one, but she didn’t have that much hope due to her previous attempts of helping people. 

The fact that both of them were being late to work wasn’t a good sign at all. Since when were they late to the office? Everyone expected it from Tobin. But Leif? That could end up in the SPRQpoint’s history books, if they existed. 

“Where do you think they are?” 

“I don’t know and…” Max stopped to finish and save his work. “I do not care!” He playfully said.

“C’mon…” Zoey closed his laptop and put it aside, speaking again so Max couldn’t complain. “What if they’re mad at me?”

“They aren’t mad at you, babe.” He stated, caressing her shoulder. 

“How could you possibly know that? When my broth-“

“Look.” Max interrupted with a soft voice. “You only tried to help David, not your fault he lied to her wife. Aaaand-“ Zoey closed her mouth instantly. “Before you start getting anxious, it’s not your fault. Even if those two never talk to each other ever again, the only wrong thing you did yesterday was drinking Margaritas. Really, Zo?”

“What?” She giggled. “They’re sweet!! It’s not my fault you’re boring.”

“Me? Bor-“

“TOBIN BATRA’S IN THE HOUSE Y'ALL!” Tobin loudly yelled in his way from the elevator to his desk. “Did y’all miss me?!”

“No!” 

“Shut up Sam!” Leif shouted too, walking next to him. “We all know your mustache is fake!”

As they put their stuff on their desks, Zoey walked quickly towards them. “Hey duuuudes!” She waved, clearly anxious. “How’s…. How’s everything going? Everything cool? Everything alright? No problems around here? Stop me please...?”

Tobin giggled, glancing at Leif a little too fondly before looking at Zoey. “It’s okay, Zoey. We’re good now. Thanks.”

“So… Best friends again?”

The two of them stared at each other for what it seemed ages to Zoey. It started with a soft smile, without the intention to answer the question anymore. And then, Leif remembered that she was still there and he laughed lightly. “Yes. I guess you could say that…”

“Oh! That’s- That’s great, guys! I honestly thought-“

“Leif!” Joan called him from her office, not even looking directly at him. “Come here! You’re late and we need to talk about that stupid idea we both had drunk!” Everyone stayed quiet. “Oh, don’t- I’m referring to the Chirp! Work and stop gossiping about my sexual life!” Everyone went instantly back to work. “Leif Donnelly!” She yelled again.

Something Zoey didn’t expect to see was Leif turning his head towards Tobin and, silently, asking permission to go talk with Joan. Tobin half smiled and nodded as his best friend walked away, stealing some glances at him while approaching their boss.

“What was… that?” Zoey asked, confused.

“What was what?” Tobin kept grining, until he woke up from his trance. “Oh! That…” He glanced at Leif and then looked back at Zoey. “Remember when we talked about me being jealous of Joan and stuff? Well… We had a pretty long conversation about it. A really really long and embarrassing conversation about it…”

“And judging by your faces…” Zoey saw Leif still glancing at Tobin every two seconds. “It went good, right?”

Tobin softened his face, and Zoey could swear his eyes were literally shining. “Yeah…

After his talk with Joan, Leif told the team about a Chirp’s problem they had to solve before the next meeting. Which was happening in less than two days. So, like that, everyone started to focus on their screens. Zoey, as much as she wanted to concentrate, the atmosphere in the office was different. Something had not-so-drastically-but-notably-changed, and her instinct told her it came from their friends’ desks: Everytime one of them did something good, they received a soft look from the other, along with a high five that lasted a bit too much for just a high five; whenever Tobin asked something, Leif leaned really close -and by _really_ , it meant that their faces were _so close_ that it could count as PDA if they were a couple. _Which they are not… right?_ Zoey thought; and those long stares? The shoulder touching? The _‘Sorry, bro, don’t wanna bother but-‘ ‘You could never bother me, Tobes.’_ moment? They were driving Zoey crazy. 

However, everything became _obvious_ to her when Leif put his laptop aside and sighed, turning around to look at Tobin. “I can’t do this.”

“What?” Tobin stopped typing, but he didn’t lift his head.

“This! I can’t find the problem! What if they blame me for this, Tobes?” Leif half-whispered the last part, but she could still hear him. Tobin spinned his chair so he was looking directly at his best friend(?). Leif put his glasses on the table. “What if… What if they fire me for this?” Zoey had never heard Leif’s voice sounding so helpless... “The Chirp was my idea!”

Tobin stood up and put his hands on Leif’s shoulders. Tenderly looking at him. “Leif, I’m only going to say this once, so hear me out…” Leif nodded. “Are you dumb?” 

“Wh- what?”

“Because you gotta be!” Tobin laughed sweetly. “You gotta be an absolute moron to think they’ll fire their best programmer! And if they end up firing you for this mistake -because that’s what this is, just a little damn mistake- fuck them all! Fuck SPRQpoint if they let you go! You’d find a job in less than a day because you are Leif fucking Donelly! You don’t give up! You always win, bro!” Tobin proceeded to fix Leif’s tie as he pulled him closer. “And now…” He muttered. “Teach that code who’s gonna run this place, dude.”

They stayed like that. Face to face, noses almost touching… And Zoey seriously thought for a moment they were gonna kiss and break that tension they had been building up the whole day. But instead of doing that, Leif sang. And for once, Zoey really wanted to know where would that take them.

Everyone except them stayed static, and the lights lowered their intensity, mostly focusing on them. “Can I control lights now? Guess I’ll tell Mo later, huh?”

“ _My love was as cruel as the cities I lived in… Everyone looked worse in the light._ ” He turned his head to Joan. “ _There are so many lines that I’ve crossed, unforgiven…”_ He smiled at Tobin again. “ _I’ll tell you the truth, but never goodbye…_ ” Taking his hand, Leif started moving around the office along with him. They weren’t technically dancing, but Zoey was amused by the beauty of the simple choreography. “ _I_ _don’t wanna look at anything else now that I saw you. I don’t wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you. I’ve been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night.”_ He brought Tobin closer to him, now holding his hand close to his chest. “ _And now I see daylight… I only see daylight.”_

“ _Luck of the draw only draws the unlucky. And so I became the butt of the joke._ ” Tobin started moving around Leif, sometimes touching or sitting on the tables surrounding them. “ _I wounded the good and I trusted the wicked. Clearing the air, I breathed in the smoke._ _Maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down._ _Maybe I’ve stormed out of every single room in this town. Threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it’s morning now._ ” He stood up in front of Leif again. “ _It’s brighter now._ ”

Both of them approached their desks as they kept singing and dancing together. “ _And I can still see it all._ ” Their back-and-forth duet began with Leif.

“ _In my mind… All of you, all of me”_

“ _Intertwined… I once believed love would be._ ” 

“ _Black and white… But it’s golden._ ” 

“ _Golden… And I can still see it all._ ” 

“ _In my head… Back and forth from New York_ ” 

“ _Sneaking in your bed… I once believed love would be._ ” 

“ _Burning red… But It’s golden._ ” 

“ _Like daylight._ ” Leif leaned on his desk, just in the same position as before. “ _Like daylight”_

“ _Like daylight._ ” Tobin grabbed Leif’s tie and pulled him closer. “ _Daylight…_ ”

When the song finished, they went back to work. And Zoey didn’t need them to kiss to realize what was happening between her two friends. The song made her feel like falling for Max all over again, and like that… she understood everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is called “Daylight”!! By Taylor Swift!!
> 
> PS: Thank u so so so much for reading this!! Kudos are always appreciated!! ILYSM!!!
> 
> PS2: This has been so so fun to write!! These two mean everything to me!!


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